Can you shoot 7mm STW in 7mm Rem mag

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What caliber is 7mm STW?
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What is 7mm STW?

Q: I had my old Remington Model 700 in 8mm Rem Mag rebarreled for the 7mm STW. I remember that you did this back in the early 1990s. How did you find the 7mm STW performance-wise? What bullet weights and loads did you prefer.

Earl Hawkes

A: American gun writer Layne Simpson developed the wildcat 7mm STW (Shooting Times Westerner) back in 1988 and I had my rifle in 8mm Rem Mag rebarreled for it a couple of years later. At that time ultra-slow powders weren’t exactly prolific, but I worked up some pretty good loads using now-discontinued AR2214 and RE-22. I didn’t do as much load development work as I would have liked for the 7mm STW, and settled for a load of RE-22 which drove the Speer 160gn Grand Slam at 3233fps from a 24″ barrel. I used the 7mm STW in the Northern Territory and Mongolia, before I sold it together with the 8mm Rem Mag barrel.

My rifle proved capable of driving 140gn bullets at 3450fps, but Les Bowman had convinced me that the criteria of what any 7mm Magnum will do is with a nicely pointed 160gn controlled-expansion bullet. Checking the loadsI used back then I find them
to be way over maximum when compared to loads listed in the Nosler Reloader’s Guide No 8, so I won’t recommend them. I can only suggest you work up from the listed starting loads in your manual.

The great Alaskan moose pictured here was bagged by an American hunter with a single 160gn bullet at 3250 from his 7mm STW. I am sure you’ll appreciate the 7mm STW’s stretched-string trajectory and sledgehammer punch.

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Nick Harvey is one of the world's most experienced and knowledgeable gun writers, a true legend of the business. He has been writing about firearms and hunting for more than 65 years, has published many books and uncounted articles, and has travelled the world to hunt and shoot. His reloading manuals are highly sought after, and his knowledge of the subject is unmatched. He has been Sporting Shooter's Gun Editor for longer than anyone can remember. Nick lives in rural NSW, Australia.

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Howdy Guys, Can a Rifle that is chambered for the 7mm Rem Mag be rechambered to 7STW? If so who would you have do the work.

Thanks
Bill

DE OPPRESSO LIBER
SUA SPONTE

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Campfire 'Bwana

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It depends upon which rifle you have. A remington 700, no problem. A M70 winchester can be done but to do it right it's a lot of work. A ruger M77, no, the action's too short.

Tell us what you have and you'll get a lot better feedback.

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Campfire Ranger

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Jim, on the model 70, this is essentially what needs to be done. Replace the magazine and follower with one of 375 H&H length (I would personally replace it with one from Blackburn that was built around the 416 rem). Have the reciever bridge machined rearward, the bolt stop, and ejector shortened and a Williams extractor installed. The portion of the reciever directly behind the magazine box needs a little "dishing" to prevent cartridge hangups as they rise in the box. Also, a new scope base hole needs to be added as the other will be machined away when the reciever bridge is modified. Oh, and if you do go the Blackburn box route, the bottom of the reciever will need modifying as well.

It seems like a bunch, but a competent smith will take it as a matter of course.

Chuck

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Campfire Guide

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Any good gunsmith can rechamber a 7MM mag to STW providing you have enough magazine length. I had it done some years ago to a 700LH. No problems at all but I dont like the cartridge. With todays powders they are almost equal, to me its just not worth it. Extra recoil, blast, etc. for maybe 150 ft/sec. Need at least 26" of barrel also.

Lefty

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Campfire Ranger

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On a Rem 700 a simple rechamber and your in business. It's not that big of a job on a Model 70 either. I've owned a Model 70 push feed in 300 Wtby and it did not have the ejection port milled longer. Ejection port and rear scope screw hole locations were the same as my brother's identical rifle in 7mm Rem Mag. Just take the spacer out of the back of the mag box and you're set. But it's not really worth it anyway. The last 7mm Rem Mag I owned, a 24" Rem 700 would do 3400 with a 140, albeit the load was a bit hot, but at 3350 it was happy. An STW won't give you much more than that.

"after the bullet leaves the barrel it doesn't care what headstamp was on the case"
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Campfire Guide

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Agree it's just not worth it. I had one some years ago. Used some of those loads published by Lane Simpson. They were real barn burners! Brass lasted about one round and you better have a mallet handy to open the bolt! got out of that business real fast! When loaded to sane presures the STW just doesnt have that much more than the 7 Mag. , especially considering all the fuss when you touch one off.

Lefty

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I thought about doing the same thing, but after careful deliberation, a rebarrel/chamber to 300 WM seemed to make more sense.

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Campfire Oracle

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When Remington decided to make the 7mm STW a factory cartridge they tested some of Layne's loads, and found most generated over 70,000 psi. Given the same barrel length and pressure, the STW gets only a little more than 100 fps over the standard 7mm mag. Which is one of the reasons I also gave up on the 7mm STW a while back.

Another possibility for a 7mm Remington Magnum is a rebore/rerifle/rechamber to .300 Winchester or even .300 Weatherby, depending on the action. This costs a LOT less than a rebarrel job, plus you don't have to fiddle with the barrel channel in the stock. I have had Dan Pedersen of Classic Barrel and Gunworks (www.cutrifle.com) do several such jobs for me and they have all turned out better than the original.

He also rebarreled my Model 70 7mm STW to .300 H&H, and duplicated the barrel contour. He hand-laps the bores afterward, and they are very good barrels.

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A more pratical choice is the 7mm Dakota. Fits in a 3.4 action and is ballistically right on the heals of the STW. You will still require fine tuning of the magazine and rails to accomodate the shortened 404 Jeffery hull. The Dakota will achieve near STW speeds and out of a 24-inch barrel. The STW is another one of those that does best on a 26 inch barrel. Brass will be more expensive however on the Dakota for the reloader.

For hunting, there is little difference in the performance of the 7mm Rem, Wby, Dakota, STW, Ultra. They are within a couple inches of each other at 500 yards out.

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Campfire Guide

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Ditto on the STW.

A few post back you gave me Pedersons' number. I have arranged to send him a .257 Wby that I went a little crazy on the barrel contour. He is going to shorten it from 26 down to 22 1/2 and bore it out to .375 H & H. Should be about perfect.

Lefty

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Campfire Outfitter

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About a month ago I handled a custom Interarms Mark X
that had been rebarreled to 7MM STW. The action seemed
pretty large, so Im assuming that the original caliber had
been .375 H&H. The work was very well done and the gun
was very heavy, probably close to 10 pounds.

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Campfire Oracle

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MD-that 358 STA should have a bit of torque I bet....grins

I do like the 23" though, that is what I've used on several 340's except with a bit more tube weight. Generally 4.5 weight Schneiders.

Dogz

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Campfire Guide

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Well guys It seems I'm in the minority on this one. I do prefer the STW to the Rem and Wby versions. If you are looking for a true long range flat shooting heavy hitting caliber the STW is hard to beat at the level of recoil it generates. I've owned numerous 7mm Rem mags and a 7 WBY and generally velocity peaks at around 3000 fps with 160's. In the STW you can get 3150 - 3200 at the same pressure levels. A 160 grain 7mm bullet at 3200 FPS is flat shooting and hard hitting for "A LONG WAYS!" without excessive recoil.
I love the caliber as it is one of my favorites!
Raghorn <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
BTW it has been said that there is not "MUCH" difference between a rem mag and the STW, and that is true as most people cannot realize the difference in 150-200 fps. The difference is about the same as between the 308 and 30-06 or 30-06 and the 300 win mag. Now most people won't argue that there isn't a difference between those two? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

B.C. don't matter.............Laffin!

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Campfire Oracle

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Mark--

Yeah, the .358 STA does have some torque--especially with 280 A-Frames and 310 Woodlieghs. I had it built with a 1-12 twist just so I could also shoot the heavyweights--and it still shot extremely well with 250's. Funny thing, though--after it was all done I found I essentially had a .375 H&H that required extra care and feeding!

I have used the 23" barrel length on a number of rifles, mostly because I got tired of trying to decide between 22" and 24". And, by golly, it still goes bang!

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Campfire Oracle

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My Nosler data shows the STW besting the Weatherby by 104 fps using top loads with 160 Partitions. It
only uses 2" more barrel (both were Liljas) and 23 grains more powder to do it.

Seriously though, I've never personally tested an STW and I've got nothing against it anyway.

Dave

"In the real world, think of the 6.5 Creedmoor as the modernized/standardized/optimized version of the 6.5x55/.260." John Barsness 2019

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I did it (rechamber a 7mm Remington to a 7mm STW) in a 26 inch barreled Browning A-Bolt.

I'd never advise it. I gained no noticeable trajectory gain in the field. I saw absolutely no difference in killing power. The gun did however, become noticeably less pleasant to shoot.

My 7mm STW is now the least used gun in my battery. I'll probably sell it to some "velocity enamoured" buyer. It now uses way more powder, to produce way more muzzle blast ,and way more recoil, and will give you way less barrel life. All for a tiny (about 3%) increase in velocity. Neither you or an animal will ever notice any benefit - at the range or while hunting.

It makes no sense in my opinion - speaking as one who's done it.

Been there - done that - and I'll never do it again.

What was I thinking?

Brian

Vernon BC Canada

"Nothing in life - can compare to seeing smiles on your children's faces."

What caliber is 7mm STW?

The 7mm Shooting Times Westerner, sometimes referred to as the 7mm STW began as a wildcat rifle cartridge developed by Layne Simpson in 1979. ... .

What ammo can a 7mm Rem Mag shoot?

Available using 140 grain, 150 grain, or 160 grain 7mm bullets, Barnes offers three outstanding choices for hunters regardless of what they're after. The 160 grain load is an excellent choice of 7mm Rem Mag ammo for elk, deer, bear, and moose hunting.

Is 7mm Rem the same as 7mm Rem Mag?

The 7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum is considerably shorter and fatter and has a steeper shoulder angle and a longer neck (7.90 mm) than the 7mm Remington Magnum. This makes the 7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum better suited for loading long heavier bullets.

What is 7mm STW?

The 7mm STW was developed by Layne Simpson, gun writer for the Shooting Times Westerner magazine. Based on the 8mm Remington magnum case necked down to 7mm, Simpson's goal was to drive 160 grain bullets at over 3200fps.